A walk on the mild side – with vistas and wildlife

It’s 9 a.m. on a bright, sunny Monday morning, and Lisa MacDonald, script in hand, backpack laden with water, spare clothing and guidebooks, is ready to inaugurate the latest offering from the Friends of Jasper National Park: a primer for greenhorn hikers.

“We’re targeting new, young people to Jasper, who want to have an epic year,” says MacDonald, a professional physiotherapist who also works in Friends’ office and acts as guide for the new hiking course. 

The assignment: walk six km of Jasper’s Discovery Trail, from Friends’ office, along the town’s western margin, looping north and east to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. She scores the jaunt as “intermediate level, not just a walk in the park” and estimates that we will cover the distance in 2.5 hours.

“But you’re never sure what’s going to happen when you put a hiker on a trail,” she cautions. “There’s the weather, animal encounters and the trail - the three are always inter-acting.” And still more advice: match the route with your fitness and experience; don’t take on the 45 km Skyline Trail for the first outing of the year.

Before we take the first step, she goes through a short checklist: a back pack that rides comfortably on the hips, layers of clothing for warmth and protection from sun and rain. Footwear is critical – not too light, or too heavy, a change absorbent socks, a first aid kit to deal with any blisters that might pop up. Carry water and an energy snack.

At the first small rise, MacDonald shares her expert knowledge of the human form, and offers simple effective instruction on the correct way to ascend a slope - take short steps. On descending, swing your foot out and forward so that your weight is not on your back.

Even groomed trails have their dangers – loose rock, slippery surfaces that can lead to injuries, she cautions, so pay attention, choose the spot where your foot will land.

We come upon several grazing elk. One has a red collar, another white, indicating that they have a record of aggressive behaviour. They remind me of wary cows, and I treat them that way, careful not to press them until they have found their own way to avoid us, but  she tells me later in an email that we should have withdrawn immediately.

Interpretive signs have been vandalized and souvenir hunters have made off with trail markers, creating confusion where Trail 3 takes off for Caledonia Lake. We stop at a small kiosk where the trail crosses Cabin Creek Road, for a brief but detailed instruction on bears: grizzlies are the ones with the big humps and long claws; black bears have pointed ears and short claws.  If things go badly and the bear attacks, play dead with the grizzly, protect the back of your neck; don’t let the bear roll you over. Fight off the Black Bear.

The trail climbs briskly up the bench through groves of pine and fir. We meet a few strolling couples, a runner or two, and stop at a commemorative bench. The view is south, up the Athabasca valley toward the icefields, over the rooftops of Jasper. 

The air is fragrant with resin. The grove has been thinned and raw, yellow stumps poke through the sandy soil of the bench lands. Other trees, toppled by the elements, reveal shallow root systems. .Forest thinning is part of Jasper’s fire smart program, MacDonald explains, intended to protect the town from a blaze in the surrounding forest. 

The guide was stumped for the name of a flower at the edge of the trail. But this is an introduction to the art of hiking - not an interpretive outing – and it passed quickly and easily. The program is offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Tickets are available from the Friends of Jasper National Park gift shop.